Sunday, December 27, 2009

We just had a great Christmas, and hope you all did as well. One thing that we did when I was growing up, was before our presents and family activities, we have our " gift to Jesus" This was one tradition that Renee and I have wanted to carry on, and since yesterday was our first Christmas with the kids, we did that.Since there English level is not enough to actually voice/write a gift to Jesus, we decided to have them color a picture that we would place in Jesus' stocking. We were so proud of Tegan, as he did the most amazing coloring job. We are so thankful to his birth Mom for instilling in him a love and understanding of who Jesus is!

Below is some of our favorite pictures of their first Christmas as part of our family

Monday, December 14, 2009

Tegan reading his Bible. Its so cute, because he reads in "English"-his own version-except on the words he knows. ....Jesus loves me....loves Mommy and Daddy.

Their first experience with ice, see video below!

Their cousin Addalyn came over tonight, she has been visiting Grandma for the weekend, and she stopped by. The boys worked so hard to impress her, and Tegan told us that he wants a baby sister, and keeps asking Mommy if there is a baby girl in her tummy!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

It has been a little over two months since we brought home our amazing boys. We have been through a lot, but are emerging ( more every day) as a family.

These past two weeks we have done a lot, but the biggest accomplishment is that the boys are legally and officially re-adopted. What that means, is that in the eyes of the US Government, the boys are no longer immigrants. They are full US citizens. This allows us to change their name, and get them Oregon birth certificates, social security cards, passports and their certificate of citizenship. We are so proud. Once more, a few highlights from the past two weeks!

The pictures below are from our cooold train ride in Portland on Friday. Tegan loves "cho cho trains", so as part of a present from Great Grandpa Ransom, we took them on a "Holiday Express" ride along the Willamette River. It was cold, but they had fun!

Visit to Storybook Land yesterday. This is a tradition in Albany, its a walk-through with life size displays of Disney and Traditional stories. The kids love it, and it always ends with a visit to Santa. Well, my Mom and Dad volunteer as "Santa and Mrs. Claus" so we went when they were on duty, along with their cousins. It was fun, but cold!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Last week a girl I went to High School, (SC class of '97!) asked if she could do some family pictures for us. She is in demand as a photographer, and we totally appreciate the pictures. She did an amazing job, and if you need pictures, please check out her blog. www.bethanyhailephotography.blogspot.com

I know I have not updated for a while, and we have been busy.

In the past few weeks, we have all been through the flu, playing with cousins, chatting on skype with some Ethiopian friends, and spending a weekend on the road in Eastern Oregon. We spent 3 night in a hotel, and the boys were so happy when we pulled up at our house. I think they thought that they would never come back here. It was cute to see how excited they were!

Check out our facebook or photobucket ( www.photobucket.com/ransomfamily) account for more pictures.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

We got some amazing news today, we are thanking God for His faithfulness, and love for His kids. Let me explain.
Last week, we took the boys in for some routine "welcome to your new life" blood work and Doctor visit. Then a few days later, the Doctor called us at 7 pm and told us one of the boys had a serious problem with his blood, and that he has tested positive for a serious problem. We were shocked, because he had been tested in Ethiopia several times, and each time it was negative. We got over our shock, and moved forward, knowing there was nothing that effected how much we loved our kids, and no matter what, we would never trade them for anything.

We got him retested, and they checked to see how much damage this disorder had already done. The answer to the the second question..was none. His body showed no effects. Then today, the Doctor called back and said he had tested negative this time. She was shocked and told us she has no idea how this happened or what was going on.
But you know what, we do! We believe Father stepped in and healed our little boy! We asked if it was possible if they accidentally mixed up the first tests, and we had retested the wrong boy. She said no, she could tell it was the same blood. So the Specialist says we need to re-test in 1 week, and we will, but we know what the result will be!

I did not say which boy it was, or what the problem was. That was on purpose, as it does not matter. Plus, it adds some mystery to the whole blog! We are rejoicing, and once again amazed at His faithfulness, and how He takes care of us more than we could ask of think!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Today we ran down to Eugene and visited Holt. They love seeing the kids that come home, and we had a great time. Of course the boys were cute, and even got invited to submit pictures for the annual Holt calendar. But I am sure they say that to everyone!

The first one is with 2 of the people who work in the Ethiopia office, who do a lot of work for us and for the kids.